Classic Romance: Hannah + Ray's Martinstown House Destination Wedding

Both American, when Hannah and Ray got engaged they knew they wanted to celebrate a destination wedding in Ireland. Well aware that it was quite the trip they expected an intimate guest list of just close family and friends but were pleasantly surprised by their pals desire to visit the Emerald Isle. Appreciating friends and families efforts Hannah and Ray filled their venue, Martinstown House, with romantic flowers, lots of amazing food and drinks and a whole lotta love, all captured by Sweet Orange Photography.

Although meant to be, the beginning of Hannah and Ray's relationship wasn't exactly straight forward. Hannah remembers..."Ray and I met in 2012 when I took a summer job as a lifeguard, he was the aquatics director for the local YMCA, and my boss. Let me preface this by saying that I have never believed in love at first sight, I was recently out of a long term relationship and not really looking to start dating anyone new, but the instant I met him there was just something about him I couldn't shake. I spent the first few weeks taking every opportunity I could to take shifts where I knew he was at the office. On my breaks I would wander into his office and ask him questions I already knew the answer to just to talk to him some more. We flirted a little bit, but dating an employee was definitely against the rules and as he was already five years into building his career with that organization he wasn't interested in throwing all of that away for a summer fling."

Hannah continues..."However, I was persistent, and after a month it was apparent there was a chemistry there that neither of us could ignore. We would secretly talk to each other for six or seven hours, sometimes staying up all night…it was the beginning of an amazing friendship. Toward the end of the summer we secretly started dating and I was nearing the end of college so I began looking for a job in the event planning industry since I was going to graduate soon with a degree for that field. It didn't take long, I got a job for an event planning company and our relationship went public! Looking back on it, it was very stressful to click with someone so well and be told a relationship is forbidden, but the whole experience gave us such a strong friendship that laid the foundation for an amazing relationship."

Finally together, and after three happy years, Ray proposed. Hannah recalls the romantic moment..."The first Christmas Ray and I were together he got me a locket and told me one day he would get it engraved. Fast forward, it’s three years later and the locket still hadn't been engraved. To be honest I had kinda forgotten about it since a diamond necklace I had gotten on a different Christmas from him was all I ever wore. One Friday night we were going out to dinner, a very typical Friday night for us. I was running a little late, which again, made it a very typical Friday night, and I came rushing out of the bathroom ready to leave. Ray stopped me before we were about to walk out the door and told me he had a gift for me. He handed me a box and when I opened it, the locket he had gotten me on our first Christmas was in the box and it was engraved with the words “Marry Me?” When I looked up he was on one knee with the most perfect ring that he had spent months designing with our jeweller. There was only one answer, yes!"

Deciding to wed in Ireland, Hannah and Ray initially thought their wedding would be a super intimate affair and so booked a small country house to celebrate. Things didn't go quite to plan and Hannah and Ray began to look elsewhere, Hannah told us..."After months of stressing about how all of this would come together with a much bigger group of people, I decided to simplify the process and find a separate venue to have the wedding ceremony and reception at. That’s when I started looking on One Fab Day for venues and came across Martinstown House."

Hannah continues..."I emailed Edward, the owner of the house, and he was so kind and responsive. He sent me pictures of everything I asked for, worked on a custom menu with me for the wedding, sourced special sized tables and gold chairs and had a group of people to help with set up and tear down the event. He was a God send! The first day in Ireland we settled into our room in Athy and then drove to The Curragh to meet Edward and see the venue. The grounds were breathtakingly beautiful and Edward was so attentive. At the end of walking the grounds and going over the wedding itinerary we sat in the marquee with Edward and the bridal party and drank Guinness and Prosecco, a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life!"

Having finally found the perfect venue Hannah and Ray set upon filling it with lush, romantic flowers by The French Touch and elegant décor by Frog Prince. Hannah details..."I've had an idea of what my wedding was going to look like since I was a little girl, and although it was challenging to plan everything from a completely different country, the day of the wedding exceeded all of my wildest expectations. Stephanie and Justin with the French Touch did such an amazing job taking all of my emails, pictures and inspirations and bringing them to life! Edel with Frog Prince Event Styling also helped me out so much, finding the correct colour blush linens and gold chargers were much harder than I thought, but every single item I asked Edel to help me find she was able to with no trouble at all, she was truly an angel."

Sweetly, after all her planning Hannah's main advice is to use One Fab Day..."For brides planning a destination wedding in Ireland, I would recommend using One Fab Day to find all of your wedding vendors. I can’t tell you how many days I spent looking at the real weddings that are featured on this site. It was so amazing to see the actual work done by vendors that I wanted to hire, it really helped me decide on the people that could help me bring my vision to life." Thanks so much Hannah and Ray, and thank you for sharing your Martinstown House wedding with us all!

A big thank you also goes to Sweet Orange Photography for sharing their work with us. To see more from Sweet Orange Photography visit www.sweetorangephotography.com